Nik Aziz remained adamant about his hudud. He said there is no doubt PAS will implement the Islamic Law should Pakatan Rakyat wins the next general election.

MCA is worried and so is DAP. Unexpectedly, PKR is also against such a law in Malaysia.

So, how would the three PR components face each other over the issue? I believe there won't be any consensus because looking at the current scenario, DAP and PKR will be all out to fail Nik Aziz and Hadi Awang on their plan.

Weirdos at work!

Anwar Ibrahim himself, as PR de facto leader is now sucked into the problem. If no compromise is reached among the three, Pakatan will fall apart. Bickering over hudud will soon tear the political pact apart.

How to find an amicable solution to this burning topic?

Let me suggest - either PAS or DAP breaks the pact. Leave Pakatan and be on their own. As for PKR, they will find comfort working with DAP than with PAS. PAS to the PKR leaders is bringing more trouble of late, especially when some of its office bearers question Anwar's and Lim Kit Siang's credibility as the probable PM and DPM.

"I don't think I should mention this the second time, as it (the proposal) had been made a long time ago and everybody knows about it," Nik Aziz told reporters after chairing a state executive council meeting in Kota Bharu yesterday.

And in Kuala Lumpur, PKR's Youth wing has chosen to side with DAP chairman Karpal Singh in opposing Pas' hudud aspirations. Its chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin yesterday warned his PAS counterpart Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi, that he had opened a Pandora's box over his recent comment on the implementation of hudud, which had raised the ire of Karpal and other DAP members.

He said it was improper for Nasrudin to dredge up the longstanding issue as he claimed that the stance of the alliance between PKR, DAP and Pas on the Islamic criminal law was clear.

"I would like to advise Nasrudin to refer to our agreement late last year that hudud is not part of Pakatan Rakyat's joint policy until all member parties agree to it."

Shamsul Iskandar added that close to 30 top opposition party leaders had met for over three hours on Sept 29 last year to resolve the deep-rooted hudud issue, which has seen DAP and Pas repeatedly at loggerheads.

"DAP's objection has to be respected and PR will continue to allow its members to air different views," he said.

On Friday, Karpal had expressed displeasure upon learning that Nasrudin had, during a political debate, suggested that he was willing to consider hudud for the country.

Perhaps there is another solution to the issue - either PAS drops hudud or being dropped from Pakatan Rakyat!

MP SPEAKS Reprioritising the tasks of police personnel is the way forward to lower the crime rate and safeguard our families instead of "chasing shadows" in the BN government's obsession with regime security.

Recently, national debate about whether the recent spike in crimes was mere 'perception' has captured headlines and fuelled a blame game. However, police distribution is an important factor that has escaped public notice. Statistics will show a clearer picture of what is hindering the men in blue from making us feel safe.

As of January 2011, for every uniformed police handling crime, there are six in non-crime sectors. This means six times as many police officers are tasked with non-crime related jobs, than those who are fighting crime.

It is a sobering fact that the Criminal Investigation Department makes up only 9 percent, or 9,346, of the total 105,929 uniformed police force. No wonder we feel unsafe!

Meanwhile, a whopping 86 percent of police personnel belong to the non-crime related sectors (management, internal security and public order, logistics, special branch, and special task force).

Could this be due to the BN government's obsession with regime security by placing emphasis on the surveillance of political foes, resulting in such a cock and bull story of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists and former communists who have supposedly infiltrated Pakatan Rakyat as alleged by the Special Branch?

These startling figures were revealed by the Home Ministry in a written parliamentary reply during last year's parliamentary session. The Home Ministry has refused to answer a similar question at this year's parliamentary session.

In 2005, the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry Report made recommendations on transforming the Malaysian police into an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service focussed on three core functions - to keep crime low, to eradicate corruption and to uphold human rights.

The total number of uniformed police personnel has increased from 82,135 in 2001 to 105,929 a decade later. (Civilian staff in the police force is not included in the statistics). Throughout the years, there has not been changes in the distribution of personnel among departments despite public concern over the increase crime.

For instance, in 2011, 41 percent of uniformed police are in management, 31 percent internal security and public order, 9 percent in logistics, 5 percent in Special Branch, whereas the Criminal Investigation Department only had 9 percent of the uniformed personnel.

The police was given an allocation of RM4.5 billion in 2010, RM5.8 billion in 2011 and RM6.3 billion in 2012 respectively. There is an increase of RM1.8 billion, or 40 percent, between 2010 and 2012.

Consistently in the past three years, the Criminal Investigation Department has received only 8 percent of the total allocation. Talk about misplaced priorities!

There is no point quarrelling over statistics unless the government is willing to move beyond its own obsession with regime security and take measures to prioritise the safety of ordinary Malaysians.

This morning, I came across a fantastic blog callled RYviewpoint run by a Canadian retiree who describes himself as 'an over-the-hill but under-the-cover guy waiting by the highway of life to see what random deliveries fate has for me..."

Sadly, he decided to stop blogging at that site on the February 1st, 2012 and he eloquently explains the reasons for that decision in THIS POST.Honestly, I really hope he will resume blogging again for otherwise, cyberspace would truly lose an insightful and classy writer like him who not only shows a high level of integrity but writes with such sincerity, style and flair.

I have made a personal commitment to read his past posts everyday for it is rare to come across someone like RYviewpoint who can write brief but hard-hitting posts. His blog has over 5000 blog posts and I will definitely try to read every single one.

If the media lies, then a representative government is impossible. And that makes the constitutional requirement for a free press a waste of effort. At least a significant majority of the press must be honest enough to tell the truth. A free press can be honest or sold out. MORE HERE.

LONDON: The Burmese embassy in London has refused the visa application of Ansar Burney, the United Nations former expert adviser on human rights. Ansar Burney had applied to visit the troubled country on a "fact-finding mission" but he was informed on Tuesday afternoon that his application cannot be entertained.

Burney told The News: "The embassy has told me that they are not allowing journalists and human rights activists in the country. I am completely gutted. This action proves that Burma has something to hide from the world.

This action shows that reports of Muslims massacre in western Myanmar and Muslim Rohingyas are correct. I wanted to go there only to find facts about this case."Burney had applied for visa last week and was told to collect it on Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations former expert adviser on human rights and Chairman of Ansar Burney Trust International, Ansar Burney has said that alarming reports of Muslims massacre and communal violence is grinding on in western Myanmar and Muslim Rohingyas are increasingly being hit with targeted attacks that have included killings, rape and physical abuse and such reports are creating confusion in international community and human rights organisation.

In a press release on Monday, Burney said the four members team of Ansar Burney Trust International has already applied for visa to go to Rakhine, Myanmar on a fact-finding mission and to help crying and dying humanity.

Ansar Burney in this regard appreciated the announcement of US ambassador to Myanmar for a donation of $3 million in food aid to northern areas of the country affected by fighting between troops and ethnic militias.

Burney said that the Ambassador Derek Mitchell announced at the US Embassy on Friday that the $3 million food aid donation for displaced people in Shan and Kachin states in northern Myanmar would be delivered through the UN World Food Programme.

The Ansar Burney Trust accused security forces and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists of Muslims massacre and carrying out new attacks against Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar. "The Myanmar government declared a state of emergency on June 10, deploying army troops to quell the unrest and protect both mosques and monasteries but attacks on Muslims and mosques are continuing under the umbrella of army and government," Ansar Burney added.

He said the Burney Trust believes that ethnic and religious cleansing against innocent Muslims under whatever pretext is unjustifiable and inexcusable under international law, and demanded with the United Nations that UN must take urgent measures to protect the Rohingyas Muslims massacre by calling on Myanmar's government to end its crackdown.

Ansar Burney said that almost 800,000 Rohingya Muslims live in Myanmar. Thousands attempt to flee every year to Bangladesh, Malaysia and elsewhere in the region to escape a life of abuse that rights groups say includes slavery, forced labour, violence against women and restrictions on movement, marriage and reproduction.

The BN stands to lose more than 60 percent of its parliamentary seats in Sabah in the next general election, said a Sabah-based political scientist.

UiTM Sabah lecturer Arnold Puyok said that, based on his research, BN could lose up to 14 of the 22 seats now held by BN in the state.

Seats like Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Pensiangan are being considered "easy wins" for the opposition.

"I don't think the 'fixed deposit' will remain," he said, referring to the popular term for Sabah and Sarawak, which have been traditional BN strongholds.

He was speaking at a roundtable discussion on the next general election, organised by the politics, security and international relations cluster of the National Professors' Council.

Puyok said the BN will have difficulty in retaining not only Chinese seats in Sabah, but also areas where the Kadazan-Dusun make up the majority of voters.

"BN could lose up to 10 marginal areas (where the) Kadazan-Dusun (make up the) majority (of) voters," he said, noting that the toughest battles will be seen in areas which are more urban and densely populated.

He predicted a "tripartite" battle in Sabah between the BN, the United Borneo Front led by veteran Sabah politician Jeffrey Kitingan and an alliance between Pakatan Rakyat and a local movement.

The local movement he said, is likely to be Angkatan Perubahan Sabah, led by local politicians like Beaufort and Tuaran MPs Lajim Ukin and Wilfred Bumburing, who are rumoured to be leaving the BN.

However, he posited that Lajim and Bumburing, both political strongmen in the 1970s and 1980s, have little traction outside their areas today.

"People still look at (Joseph) Pairin (Kitingan, left) as a source to unite the Kadazan-Dusun, and I don't see (Bumburing shifting) support from BN to the opposition," he said.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political scientist Jeneri Amir said that, while Sarawak BN anchor party PBB is likely to win all 14 of its seats, the same cannot be said for its partners.

"PRS has six seats, but the Sarawak Workers Party is planning to contest four of these and is likely to win two... ," he said.

"SUPP is in bigger trouble, and is likely to lose five of its seven of its seats as the perception among the Chinese is that a vote for SUPP is a vote for (Sarawak Chief Minister) Abdul Taib Mahmud."

SPDP, he said, is also in trouble due to recent defections.

The 2011 Sarawak election has shown popular vote for BN dropping by close to 10 percent compared to the 2006 state polls, he added.

'Sabah, Sarawak kept Umno afloat'

UKM lecturer Jayum Jawan said the question is no longer whether the Borneo states are fixed deposits, but rather a "floatation device (pelampung) to keep Umno and Malays from sinking".

"In 1963, when Singapore left Malaysia, in 1969 when the ruling coalition lost its two-third majority and were fearful even though in other countries people could rule with much less than that...and again in 2008," he said, listing the instances when the two states had provided support.

"In 2013, when the parliamentary term is over, I don't know if Sabah and Sarawak will be a floatation device for any battle ship."

Jawan (left) added that, in Sabah and Sarawak, the church is the "third force" with its strong network throughout the states.

"Christians are voters too and have their interests...The church was previously only concerned in the hereafter but now they are concerned in the 'herenow'.

"Whether this will affect the next general election we will see, but it will definitely be a strong factor in Sarawak politics henceforth."

He said the people of Sarawak are feeling that they are not in the mainstream of development and when someone comes along promising change, it is very appealing.

"This cannot be taken lightly. The opposition can offer the moon and the stars, that is their job, and the job of the government (of the day) is to deliver on its promises," he added.

Lau Weng San slams Chua's Talam claimsFrom Free Malaysia TodayPatrick Lee | July 24, 2012Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim's 'silence' over the White Paper on Talam is because he has made his statements in the State Legislative Assembly.PETALING JAYA: MCA's "selective" deciphering of the Selangor Legislative Assembly's Hansard to gain mileage over the alleged Talam Corporation scandal has come under

It's almost the end of July already. Where did the time go? Next thing you know we'll be celebrating the New Year already!

Aside from the fact that I've been pretty busy with work, I can't remember a single thing I did the entire month. Must be age catching up with me. I suppose being busy is a good sign, right? More business, more money?

With that said, I've been pretty free this entire week. Work has been easy and I'm actually enjoying the change of pace. Sometimes a little boredom can help soothe the overworked soul.

The Ramadan season is upon us and for once I haven't visited a single Ramadan Bazaar just yet. I'm not planning to this year cos I heard the prices of the food being sold at the bazaar near my place has gone up.

Besides, I'm watching what I eat these days. I'm on a strict diet regime to get in shape to tackle my second marathon in approximately 3 months time and better my personal best timing. I'm signed up for quite a bit of races after the Ramadan month and really need to make sure I'm capable of breezing through them.

I have a race this weekend, a relay race, which is my first relay event ever and I just saw a section of the route which incorporate stairs that lead to heaven and beyond. I'm actually not happy about it cos in my opinion, you don't put stairs in a running event. If this was a trail or some obstacle course run, then it would be fine but not a running event.

Oh well, I can't complain and just have to take one step (no pun intended) at a time and just do my best. All my plans of a quick fast under 5 minute paced run are totally dashed now! Just go with the flow, Nick, go with the flow. All the other runners are going to be running up those stairs too!

The issue of why people pay attention, how much they do and to what is often more referred to as selective attention. In any busy scene, be it a classroom or a freeway, it's virtually impossible to note everything at once. What a person pays attention to in these circumstances is what they select to pay attention to, though it may be noted that selection is not necessarily conscious. Selected attention can then be viewed as the process by which people find something upon which to concentrate, and the level of concentration they can continue to exert as distractions arise.

There are many theories as to why people select certain things or why they have varying levels of selective attention. Some believe that the memory or the working attentional state can only hold so much at a time; so people filter out what they deem unnecessary or unimportant, usually without being aware of the filtering process. A number of theories have linked the study of attention to the senses and to the idea of how these arouse focus decisions in humans, and others believe neural function is very much involved. For instance, if two people call someone else at the same time, to whom will that person respond? Possibly, people are already attuned to respond to a more familiar voice, a louder voice, or a voice of a certain pitch, and so they'll automatically select which person gets the response, and they may not even realize another person has also called them.

Degree of selective attention may vary depending on people, and some people have low attentional levels, particularly if they have certain learning disorders. Conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can make it challenging for students to stay appropriately focused and any distractions may make a student lose focus. It's hard for the ADHD child to remain in touch with a single thing, though at times they can also exhibit hyper focus. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In 1999, two neuroscientists Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simmons conducted a simple experiment with students in a psychology course they were teaching at Harvard University. One of the best-known experiments in psychology, it appears in text books and is taught in introductory psychology courses throughout the world. Not only has it been featured in magazines such as Newsweek and The New Yorker, it has also been aired in television programs such as Dateline NBC. The Exploratorium in San Francisco and other museums have also showcased this clip which humourously reveals something about how we see and don't see in our world. They went on to write "The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us" which highlights several critical shortcomings of our brain.

According to the two neuroscientists, these illusions represent distorted beliefs we hold in our minds that are "not just wrong, but wrong in dangerous ways."

Watch the following clip. Follow the instructions carefully.

The clip illustrates the first illusion : attention. We think we pay attention to much more of the world around us than we actually do. Focused on a specific task (counting the number of bounced passes) just as many don't spot the gorilla that strolls leisurely into the scene, we may miss certain important aspects of life/information.

Often, we think we see more than we actually do (illusion #1). We may even overrate our abilities to recall what we have seen (illusion #2). Also, we constantly overestimate our own qualities and abilities (illusion #3).

These illusions explain a lot of otherwise inexplicable human behavior. For instance, three witnesses of a robbery may very different versions of what happened. We may sometimes even "recall" events that never actually occurred.

Sometimes, we may hold on to distorted beliefs that both wrong and dangerous. Here's an extract from The Invisible Gorilla:

What we intuitively accept and believe is derived from what we collectively assume and understand, and intuition influences our decisions automatically and without reflection. Intuition tells us that we pay attention to more than we do, that our memories are more detailed and robust than they are, that confident people are competent people, that we know more than we really do, that coincidences and correlations demonstrate causation, and that our brains have vast reserves of power that are easy to unlock. But in all of these cases, our intuitions are wrong, and they can cost us our fortunes, our health, and even our lives if we follow them blindly...

"You can make better decisions, and maybe even live a better life, if you do your best to look for the invisible gorillas in the world around you."

There may be important things right in front of you that you are noticing due to the illusion of attention. Now that you know about this illusion, you will be less apt to assume you're seeing everything there is to see. You may think you remember some things much better than you really do, because of the illusion of memory. Now that you understand the solution, you'll trust your own memory, and that of others, a bit less, and you'll try to corroborate your memory in important situations. You'll recognize that the confidence people express often reflect their personalities rather than their knowledge, memory, or abilities. You'll be wary of thinking you know more about a topic than you really do, and you will test your own understanding before mistaking familiarity for knowledge. You won't think you know the cause of something when all you really know is what happened before it or what tended to accompany it. You'll be skeptical of claims that simple tricks can unleash the untapped potential of your mind, but you'll be aware that you can develop phenomenal levels of expertise if you study and practice the right way.

I came across this book when checking out YouTube videos. When I asked my younger boy to watch the video, he laughed and said he saw it many years ago and told me that I am behind time. :-(

How many passes did you count? Did you see the gorilla? Do share your views/experiences and observations. I hope that as the next GE draws nigh, we will really be vigilant and pay attention and remember all important details. Have a nice day!